AROMAS Scents of the season add to holiday celebrations

Fragrance plays a big part in creating a holiday mood.
SCRIPPS HOWARD
They're the scents of the holidays. And bringing them into your home can make the holidays more relaxing, more romantic and more memorable for your family and guests.
"Fragrance can play a big part in making your home more homey," says Mindy Green, a former Boulder, Colo., aromatherapist and author who is now a clinical aromatherapist for Aveda in Minneapolis.
Rochelle Bloom, president of the Fragrance Foundation in New York, an industry group, agrees.
"Scents remind us of things," Bloom says. "It gives your room an ambiance. It gives everyone this kind of cozy, warm feeling."
In fact, Bloom says, research indicates that fragrances improve social relationships. Scents can be relaxing, stress relieving and anxiety reducing.
"Jasmine is one of the greatest for relaxing, stress relieving," Bloom says.
When considering scents for the home, consider the elements of the holidays.
"For the holidays, I always tend to make myself a little room spray with classical holiday scents," says Green. She blends essential oils such as evergreen, cinnamon, peppermint, orange and even frankincense.
Green fragrances such as evergreen, fir or pine can complement or substitute for the traditional tree. They're considered exhilarating and energetic, Bloom says.
Spicy scents also capture the season, with cinnamon, cloves and ginger bringing back memories of Mom's home cooking.
Methods
Candles are a customary way to spread a pleasing fragrance. Many stores carry home sprays in holiday scents. The Fragrance Foundation also recommends perfume oils rubbed into wood.
Plants and flowers also bring the scents of the holidays into the home.
Evergreen plants and rosemary topiaries in shapes such as small trees or wreaths are popular this time of year, says Julia Kaaren of Bloemenhaus florist in Boulder. Paperwhite flowers also lend a seasonal scent.
Bloom offers a caution, however: Don't overdo it.
Keep in mind that your sense of smell deteriorates as you get older. Familiar fragrances also may become too familiar, leading to overuse.
"You don't want your house to smell," Bloom says. "Less is more ... you don't want to overwhelm people, particularly when you're serving food. You can always light another candle."
Consider this Yuletide Spirit Mist to add fragrance to your home:
U15 drops fir.
U10 drops orange.
U4 drops frankincense.
U3 drops bay laurel.
U3 drops rosemary.
U2 drops atlas cedar.
U2 drops vanilla.
U1 drop peppermint.
U1 drop cinnamon.
This blend of essences enhances the holiday spirit and makes a wonderful room mist. You can mix it into a spritz and spray the Christmas tree to keep that fresh, evergreen scent throughout the holiday weeks.